The invention relates to a tool free system for adjusting the mounting location of an engagement member and, particularly, relates to a system for repositioning the mounting end of an engagement member within a base while the base is mounted to a substrate and without the assistance of external tools.
Binding devices are employed to secure a rider to boards and other devices configured for gliding, such as snowboards, snow skis, water skis, wake boards, surf boards and the like. For purposes of this patent, xe2x80x9cgliding implementxe2x80x9d will refer generally to any of the foregoing boards as well as to other devices which allow a rider to traverse a surface.
Certain types of bindings, known as strap or tray bindings, employ elongated straps to mount a rider""s foot or boot to a gliding implement. A strap type snowboard binding 10 is shown in FIG. 1 and includes a baseplate 12 adapted to receive a rider""s boot 14 and one or more straps extending across the boot receiving area for securing the boot 14 to the binding 10. Typical are a toe strap 16 and an ankle strap 18, each of which includes a ratchet strap 20 and a boot engagement strap section 22 that are separated from each other to provide an opening for the rider to place his or her boot 14 into the binding 10. The strap portions 20 and 22 are then rejoined and tightened around the seated boot 14 to securely hold the boot 14 on the snowboard 1.
An end of each strap section 20 and 22 includes an eyelet 24 that is registrable with a mounting hole 26 extending through a sidewall of the baseplate 12. A threaded bolt is inserted through the aligned openings and then tightened with a t-nut or other fastener to secure the strap section to the binding. Because different mounting locations of a strap are better suited to a particular style of riding, and because the comfort and fit of a boot to a binding may be varied by adjustment of the strap position, strap-type snowboard bindings typically include a series of spaced mounting holes 26 in the sidewall allowing a rider to selectively change the strap mounting location. Using a screwdriver, wrench and/or other tool, the rider loosens the fastening hardware and then repositions the strap so that the eyelet 24 aligns with a different mounting hole 26. The hardware is then reassembled and tightened with the appropriate tools so that the toe and/or ankle strap extends across the rider""s boot in a location suitable for the type of riding intended or for the desired comfort.
Recently, Burton Snowboards, the assignee of the present application, introduced a snowboard binding with a toe strap that was moveable from a first mounting location to a second mounting location on the binding without requiring the rider to use external tools. As shown in FIG. 2, the toe strap again included a ratchet strap section 20 and a boot engagement section (not shown). Two generally cylindrical shaped bosses 28 projected sideways from a mounting end of each section of the toe strap. The bosses 28 were engageable with a pair of opposed catches 30 (first mounting location) located in respective slots on each side of the baseplate. A second pair of opposed catches 32 (second mounting location) were located in each slot approximately twenty millimeters rearward from the first pair of catches 30.
To move the toe strap from the first mounting location to the second mounting location, the binding 10 first had to be removed from the snowboard 1 because the top surface of the snowboard 1 at the bottom 34 of the slot prevented the strap from being moved downward out of engagement with the catches 30. Once the binding 10 was removed from the snowboard 1, the top portion of the toe strap extending away from the baseplate was grabbed and pushed toward the bottom of the baseplate, moving the strap past the bottom 34 of the slot and freeing the bosses 28 from the first pair of catches 30. The strap 16 was then slid rearwardly until the bosses 28 were aligned with the second pair of catches 32. Drawing the top of the strap 16 upwardly seated the bosses 28 in the other pair of catches 32, placing the toe strap 16 in the second mounting location. To secure the binding 10 to the board with the toe strap in the new mounting location, a hold down mount, e.g., a hold down disc (not shown), was nested in a slightly smaller aperture in the baseplate floor. Screws or bolts were then passed through openings in the hold down mount and mated to threaded inserts in the snowboard 1, mounting the baseplate 12 to the snowboard 1. While this Burton arrangement did not require tools to reposition the toe strap between the first and second mounting locations on the binding, tools were necessary to first unfasten the binding from the snowboard, providing the necessary clearance for advancing the toe strap sufficiently beneath the bottom of the baseplate to release the bosses 28 from the catches 30 or 32 at the first or second mounting location and move the toe strap to the other mounting location. Thus, the prior Burton binding did not provide on-board, tool free adjustment of the toe strap mounting location.
Although the bottom 34 of the toe strap slot was open in the Burton binding shown in FIG. 2, the toe strap did not fall out of the slot because the baseplate was mounted flush to the snowboard surface. The portion of the sidewall where the ankle strap was mounted, however, was elevated well above the snowboard surface. A slotwall-type mounting arrangement was not suitable here as the ankle strap could have slipped out of the baseplate without a snowboard surface available to seal the slotwall bottom opening. Consequently, in the Burton binding configured with a tool free toe strap, the ankle strap was mounted to the outside of the baseplate sidewall with a screw and t-nut in the conventional fashion.
In one embodiment in accordance with an aspect of the invention there is provided a tool free system for adjusting a mounting location of an engagement member on a base while the base is mounted to a substrate. The engagement member is conformable to an object which is to be restrained and the base is adapted to receive at least a portion of the restrained object. The engagement member has a mounting end that is engageable with the base at a first mounting location and is arranged for tool free disengagement from the first mounting location and movement to a second mounting location while the base is attached to the substrate. The engagement member may be moveable by a user to disengage the mounting end from the first mounting location.
In another aspect of the invention, a binding for securing a foot or a boot to a gliding implement includes a base that receives the foot or boot and is attachable to the gliding implement. At least one strap that is conformable to a surface of the foot or boot is engageable on said base at a first mounting location and at a second mounting location. The at least one strap is disengageable tool free from the first mounting location and movable to said second mounting location while remaining attached to said base and while said base is attached to the gliding implement.
In another aspect of the invention, a binding for securing a foot or a boot to a gliding implement includes a base that receives the foot or boot and is attachable to the gliding implement. At least one strap that is conformable to a surface of the foot or boot as it is tightened thereagainst is mountable to the base at a first mounting location. The base and the at least one strap include complementary locking members for attaching the at least one strap to the base at the first mounting location, and one of the at least one strap and the base are biased to urge the complementary locking members into engagement while the at least one strap is in an untightened state.
In another aspect of the invention, a snowboard binding includes a baseplate with an aperture and a complementary hold down disc for mating with the aperture and securing the baseplate to the snowboard. The baseplate includes a pair of sidewalls and a heel hoop, and a highback extending from a rear portion of said baseplate. At least one strap that is conformable to a surface of the boot as it is tightened thereagainst includes a mounting end portion. At least one of said pair of sidewalls and said heel hoop defines a slot which receives the mounting end portion of the at least one strap in a first fixed mounting location. The mounting end portion of the at least one strap is releasable, tool free, from said first fixed mounting location within the slot while said baseplate is attached to the snowboard and then repositionable, tool free, in a second fixed mounting location within the slot.
In another aspect of the invention, a binding for securing a foot or a boot to a gliding implement includes a base for receiving the foot or boot that is attachable to the gliding implement, and at least one foot or boot engagement member is conformable to a surface of the foot or boot as it is tightened thereagainst. The binding also includes means for allowing tool free adjustment of said at least one foot or boot engagement member from a first mounting location to a second mounting location while the base is attached to the gliding implement and without disconnecting the strap from the base.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for tool free adjusting the mounting location of a foot or boot engagement member on a binding includes providing a binding having a base and at least one foot or boot engagement member. The binding includes first and second mounting locations for the at least one foot or boot engagement member, and is mounted to the gliding implement. The method also includes adjusting the at least one foot or boot engagement member from the first mounting location to the second mounting location without tools while the binding is mounted to the gliding implement and without disconnecting the at least one foot or boot engagement member from the base.
In another aspect of the invention, a snowboard binding includes a base, at least one binding strap, and a detent supported by the base and adapted to mount the at least one binding strap to the base in at least two mounting positions. The detent and the at least one binding strap are configured to allow the at least one binding strap to be selectively moved between the at least two strap mounting positions without tools while the base is attached to a snowboard by applying a force to a resilient member.
In another aspect of the invention, a snowboard binding includes a base having a bottom and at least one side flange supported by the bottom. The at least one side flange has a front slot that extends from a top of the at least one side flange through the bottom of the at least one side flange. A toe strap is positioned at least partially within the front slot, and at least two front strap mounting features are adapted to engage the toe strap with the base at at least two mounting positions. The at least two front strap mounting features are positioned within the front slot and adapted to allow the toe strap to be moved between the at least two mounting positions without tools while the base is attached to a snowboard. The snowboard binding may also include a rear slot that extends from a top of the side flange toward a bottom of the side flange and an ankle strap positioned at least partially within the rear slot. At least two rear strap mounting features are positioned within the rear slot and adapted to engage the ankle strap at at least two rear mounting positions. The at least two rear strap mounting features are adapted to allow the ankle strap to be moved between the at least two rear mounting positions without tools while the base is attached to a snowboard.
Another illustrative embodiment of the invention is directed to a snowboard binding including a base, at least one binding strap having a resilient end, and at least two strap mounting features supported by the base. The strap mounting features are adapted to mount the at least one binding strap to the base in at least two mounting locations. The strap mounting features and the binding strap are configured to allow the at least one binding strap to be selectively moved between the at least two strap mounting locations. The resilient end tends to retain the strap end in one of the mounting locations and is deformable to allow the strap to be selectively disengaged from the one of the mounting locations and moved to another of the mounting locations.
Another illustrative embodiment of the invention is directed to a snowboard binding including a base, at least one binding strap, and at least two strap mounting features supported by the base. The strap mounting features are adapted to mount the at least one binding strap to the base in at least two mounting locations. The strap mounting features and the binding strap are configured to allow the at least one binding strap to be selectively moved between the at least two strap mounting locations. A resilient shelf attached to the base tends to retain the binding strap in one of the mounting locations and is deformable to allow the strap to be selectively disengaged from the one of the mounting locations and moved to another of the mounting locations.